I Don’t Have Ice Cream… But I Have Pizza!

Happy Fourth of July everyone! A couple people have let me know that 208 years after the Declaration of Independence, Ronald Reagan established another important holiday in July — National Ice Cream month (thanks Emily and Aunt Sue Ellen!).

I didn’t know about the holiday when I decided to make 30 types of homemade ice cream to share at my 30th birthday party later this month. Unfortunately, my month of ice cream has come to an unexpected halt as our 3-year-old fridge/freezer stopped working. (Ironically our home warranty expired two weeks ago – thanks Murphy.) We’re hoping the fridge is still under manufacturer’s warranty, but by the time we thought to call the place where we bought it, it was closed for the holiday.

As we started moving our food into a cooler, I came across some frozen pizza dough I had made and I knew exactly what to make with it. Earlier in the week, I had visited a little friend’s garden. During his summer break, he decided to plant a garden and he wanted to show me. I was definitely impressed – egg plant, popcorn, two types of tomatoes, three types of squash, watermelon, peanuts, peppers, beans, several types of herbs, and probably more that I’m forgetting… He definitely has a green thumb! He was nice enough to share some of the fruits of his labor with us – thanks Jeff!

DillBasilA sweet, fresh tomato!

Deep Dish Pizza With Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

Pizza dough

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

8 ounces fresh mozzarella

Slice the garlic and allow it to soak in the olive oil for several hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place an iron skillet into the oven as it’s preheating. Remove the skillet and carefully stretch the dough to fit it. Brush the crust with the garlic oil and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Top with the tomatoes, basil, red onion and sliced garlic (from the oil). Slice the fresh mozzarella and place the pieces on top of the veggies. Drizzle with any remaining garlic oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden and cheese is browned.

7 thoughts on “I Don’t Have Ice Cream… But I Have Pizza!”

This looks so fresh and delicious! I love the flavors and the crust sounds amazing. I’m so sorry about your freezer. That’s just not fair. Why is that things seem to have a knack for breaking down just after the warranty expires. I hate that!